Rose Kent returns Palisade's serve as the Tigers take on the Bulldogs at Summit High School on Sept. 28 in Breckenridge.Liz Copan / ecopan@summitdaily.com

BRECKENRIDGE — On Saturday, for the first time in three weeks, the Summit High School varsity volleyball team won a match, prevailing at home over Rifle three sets to one.

The victory halted a six-game losing streak for the Tigers (4-12), as head coach Kelly Schneweis credited the victory to the team’s passing and ability to execute the offensive attack it game planned for. The Tigers defeated the Bears (3-21) 25-16 in the first set before dropping the second set 27-25. Summit then put the game away with 25-19 and 25-21 wins in the third and fourth sets.

“I think that our passing from Anna Confer, our libero, and Courtney Brown, as an outside hitter, our passing was outstanding,” Schneweis said. “And we were able to run our middle offense more frequently, and I think that helped contribute to the win.

“We’ve been working really hard on our personal games and systems. To finally feel like the hard work has paid off, I know that the girls were extremely excited. This gives us a boost of encouragement going into the final weekend.”

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Summit — out of contention for a regionals berth — will round out the season with a road match at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at Eagle Valley before Saturday’s final competition of the season, the one-day tournament at Golden.

Schneweis said Eagle Valley, to which the Tigers lost three sets to one earlier this season, should challenge the Tigers on the outside, a part of the court the Devils are dominant. As for Saturday, with pairings still to be announced, Schneweis is just hopeful her seniors can play to their top ability levels and go out on their own terms, playing the best volleyball they can and having fun while doing so.

“To know they’ve left it all on the court,” Schneweis said, “and that they’ve given it all they’ve got and hopefully the juniors can see that, they’ve really tried and pushed and gave every ounce that they had to finish strong.”

Looking ahead to next year, with top players like the junior Confer set to return, Schneweis said some Tigers will play in the club volleyball season, which is just around the corner. The plan is for many returnees to also come together and work next summer ahead of the 2020 fall high school season.

“These juniors work very hard; they are committed,” Schneweis said. “I’ve seen them from day one until now improve tremendously. And I think they are all really excited for next season. They are going to do a lot of summer work together.”

Schneweis added that there are also a few current Tigers seniors who might not be capping their competitive volleyball careers Saturday. Some are interested in continuing to play, whether it’s in college on a club team or actually on a Division 3 or 2 team.

For now, the Tigers are eager for one more weekend of team bonding and competition.

“For the seniors, I just want them to have some good playing moments,” Schneweis said. “I want them to be proud of themselves and work together and just to finish strong.”

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